[TamilNet, Friday, 14 April 2017, 19:18 GMT]Hindu temples destroyed by the occupying SL military during the times of war in Ampaa’rai district are being systematically sidelined in the allocation of funds for reconstruction despite repeated requests, complains the Trustee Board of Aaladi Pi’l’laiyaar temple, which is located in Poththuvil town of Ampaa’rai district. Similarly, the management of the Hindu temple at Inspector Eattam, located 2 km north of Poththuvil town, also says that the temple, which sustained destruction for two decades, has been systematically deprived of funds for a decent reconstruction.

While Sinhala and Muslim politicians are competing with each other in constructing Buddhist temples and Mosques even in Poththuvil, Saiva temples subjected for systematic neglect in Poththuvil and its suburbs, face increasing hostility from intruding extremist sections from other communities, the representatives of temple management further said.

Aaladi temple, which was one of the earliest temples in Ampaa’rai town, sustained severe destruction in 1990. The trustee board resumed the activities using the funds collected from the people. Apart from the public support, there has been no funds allocated by the SL ministry for religious affairs, they said.

The temple at Inspector Eattam was destroyed several times by the Special Task Force (STF). Whenever the STF was confronted by the Tigers at Inspector Eattem, the temple had to bear the brunt of the assault by the angry STF personnel who were hostile to the local population.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has been criticised by the voters for not prioritising the burning issues Ampaa'rai Tamils.